In Grand Theft Auto IV, which this mod is designed for use with, you typically play from a third-person perspective as you walk the streets of a city rife with crime. This means that, although you have a crosshair and other aiming aids, you generally see combat from behind your character – this gives you eyes on the back of your head, makes distant enemies harder to hit, and has a lot of other effects you may not realize.

Of course, if you try out the GTA IV First Person Mod, you'll notice pretty quickly what's different. You have to turn around and pay attention to what's going on behind you, because you can't see bullets hitting the back of your head or a cop running up to beat you down. You'll see the details of other characters when you approach them or speak to them, right down to the texture. Driving becomes several times more immersive, too, when you can see yourself behind the wheel.

Maybe the biggest improvement in the GTA IV First Person Mod is the combat. Running, gunning and diving for cover are made much more tense by the perspective. Add to that the fact you can aim more easily without looking at the crosshair, letting you "shoot from the hip", and you can see bullets hitting you dead-on, and the first person mod greatly improves combat in GTA IV (which can, admittedly, sometimes be a little simple otherwise).

Overall, the GTA IV First Person Mod is worth installing and trying out. It's not perfect, because no mod that makes this kind of change can be, but it gets pretty close. And even viewed from a different perspective, GTA IV is still a great, award-winning game – so this mod isn't just a gimmick: it's a new way to play!

Pros

Adds a new, effective way to play Grand Theft Auto IV

Combat is arguably improved by first-person viewing

Can have some really amusing results, such as finding new pictures to take

Cons

GTA IV is not designed for first-person perspective, so it can be strange or nauseating occasionally